Bears are highly opportunistic hunters which can be seen in this video the elk is already mortally wounded likely from the other bull you can hear bugling in the background. It would be exceedingly rare for a grizzly to take down a healthy bull elk of this size. If you notice at the start of the video every time it steps on its back left leg there is a severe limp. Its tibia was snapped. You can also see this wound at exactly the 3:00 min mark. It also had a massive puncture wound in it's side behind the right flank likely in the vitals. Also likely a result of an antler not a tooth. Both of these injuries are very clearly seen on the numerous pics seen on IG including mine. Excellent capture of the natural world. The elk died much sooner than it would have suffering through days of injury and the bear is much more likely to end up in the den prepared for the cold harsh YNP winter.
I appreciate your great insight and sharing details my camera wasn't equipped to clearly capture. Once on shore, it was too far away for me, so mostly I sat and watched as it dug out it's little storage kiln. Thank you!!
@@bejudson1384 Great capture. We arrived on scene just after it got to shore. Pretty remarkable stuff. Especially given how poor the light was at that time.
This bull has a broken rear left leg. You can see it in the still photo at 0:05 sec. You can see his limp in the water at every other step. I doubt many grizzlies routinely kill healthy, mature bull elk. But they'll jump on a weak, compromised one every time. If the wolves don't get there first. Nature isn't sometimes brutal. She's routinely brutal.
The power a grizzly has to trudge through that water and actually catch up to the elk is amazing. Only to then weigh it down and pull it out of the water while swimming. God damn.
I think the bear was considering pulling it up to the roadside of the river, he was almost there. Looked up and around, changed direction and it took about 25 minutes for the grizzly to cross the current and hoist the elk onto the opposite shore downstream about 300 yards. His reversal move kept the Rangers from having to close the road and possibly relocate the elk away from visitor road pullouts.
this one elk carcass has to be one of the most well documented kills ever. I've seen so many photographs and videos of this exact kill it's actually amazing. Great video also by the way, beautiful videography!
It's rare to view a bear's intent through its sustenance close up. It was an extraordinary event that unfolded for visitors of YNP and beyond. Thanks for watching and for the nice comment!
That was a fairly quick way for the elk to go considering. That point where it stopped to fight I thought was going to end badly for the bear but the sheer power of it was astonishing. Cheers for the great footage and NIM for sharing it.
Many thanks, the bull elk went into the water with a broken back leg, likely after an injury fighting another elk during rut, the September breeding season. Rough life.
Thank you. I had my eye on the Bull Elk and a few Cows in the meadow in the first photograph when the injured elk headed into the river from the timber on the left. It was providence that I went to video on the camera just as the bear appeared and began its chase.
@@bejudson1384 Thanks for the context story. I didn't know that elk was injured. Why he was injured and why he ran from the herd into the river? By the way, I have watched it 6-7 times already! :)
Wow! Thanks for the views. Visitors and wildlife managers explained to me the Bull Elk may have been in a fight for dominance over a harem of cow elk ready to breed. A stronger bull probably struck the attacked bull in the side behind the left front leg wounding it. And the broken leg causing the elk to struggle crossing the river just before the attack weakened it more. The bear may have heard the fight, or smelled the wound, waiting nearby for an opportunity to go after the elk. The first photo in the second video shows the puncture wound thought to be from before the attack by people I spoke with.
Congratulations man! Being at the right spot at the right time with the right gear is partly luck, but you have captured an epic natural battle in the wild, and that too skill! Thank you for sharing!
Dave Ruane lol, that was me. I wasn’t trying to park, I was trying not to run people over, and was letting a couple of them cross the road. That Ranger was on it- lol.
Amazing! I was in the Hayden Valley the evening before watching those four wolves finish off an elk carcass. I was out at first light but decided to get photos of the elk herd along the Madison River the morning you got this incredible footage. I got my photos but you shot the video of a lifetime! Thanks for sharing.
I was out watching the wolves the night before too, and sent my kids a text...Wolves, Grand Finale, and in the morning sent another text.. A curtain call, Grizzly on an elk. I love spending time in Yellowstone, usually quite the adventure. You are welcome.
I really appreciate hearing your comment!!!! I admire your work. Absolutely beautiful, but it's fun for me to also get to capture a video of an extraordinary Yellowstone moment. While I am away, I am glad professionals like you are there!
I was there the day after this happen.... The bear was still there guarding the kill. The elk was injured and could get across with his herd. The elk was 1200lbs and the grizzly weighed around 600lbs. Amazing to see these animals in action. And yet people try to get selfies with them.
Wow! Thank you so much for capturing and sharing this with the world. Based on some of the comments it is clear this is definitely a video people should see.
I just left Yellowstone today, and seeing that grizzly with its kill was the highlight of my trip. I drove by 3 times before I noticed the elk antlers and realized it had a kill. I stopped and asked a ranger if the grizzly had killed it or found it, and he said “killed it.” I asked if he had witnessed it, and he said “no, but I saw it in TH-cam.” Pretty cool...Thanks for the video.
I saw this. The bear is still napping by the carcass today. The elk was laying halfway in the river. That bear looks very fat and happy lying in the sun .
This elk was injured from a fight with another bull. The original story stated he had a deep puncture wound on one of his rear legs. Normally, grizz leave big males like this alone; especially when they're in the rut like that. Had the elk stayed on land, he might have still been able to fight the bear off but that's nature for ya.
An hour after the elk was on shore a photographer was showing some of us who were there, a puncture wound in the elk's side, just behind the left front leg.
We drove by this and took a pic. We only saw the after effects of him laying next to the river. Thanks for the video. We were so curious on how it went down with the river
hard to tell whether the bear got through to the spine or whether the Elk drowned. I think it got its lungs full of water when they moved over into deeper water and it stopped struggling at that point and asphyxiated within a minute or two.
To the person who recorded this phenomenal video, THANK YOU for remaining quiet and being in the moment. I was bracing myself for a shrilly “.OH MY GOD! Oh. My. GOD!”
HI, You are welcome and only additional vehicles pulling in to the pullout on the river had engines running, as the bear and elk in the water got their attention too. And unless off road hiking, there is usually a hum of traffic noises in the Park. Thanks for the nice comment.
All the people on here saying that the videographer should have scared the bear off really need to watch some Nature documentaries. Bears are omnivores and eat meat! Wolves eat meat! Vultures eat meat! This is how nature works. None of that elk will go to waste. What can’t be eaten will decompose and feed the plants that other elk will eat.
Notice at 2:20 the elk is very much alive and 5 seconds later, upside down in the water, it's no longer moving. I heard a man who drowned but was resuscitated back to life say that as soon as he breathed water into his lungs he felt a sharp pain in them and then passed out immediately. Apparently drowning is one of the easier ways to go.
@Ferret45 Hmm . . . pretty sure no one on the planet understands what laughter could possibly be referring to with drowning victim stats. Maybe you could tell us all.
You can see the bull elk has a broken left rear leg which happened before he got to the river. Without this the bear would not have taken it down in the river.Great footage that is raw nature.
RIP Mr Elk. That elk appeared to have a broken leg - a slow, agonizing and certain death regardless of the bear, but the bear did him a service: a quick death by drowning and in return the bear gets to eat. It's the circle of life in all its grit and glory.
Yes it did have a broken leg. Possibly in a fight with another bull during rut. The opening photo shows a bull in the upper meadow with cow elk that may have interacted with the injured bull before I arrived.
People don't "like" the video are probably those who don't really get out in nature and the mountains. It's not always pretty and bears aren't cuddly, get over it and get in the real world folks!
@@russelldemello8735 so all zoologists/biologists are sadistic psychopaths? Nature is brutal, sadistic and beautiful all at the same time. We just gotta learn to appreciate both sides of it
So I haven’t been on TH-cam in a while, but I have a couple comments on this video. I was in Yellowstone at the time, I think we arrived on Sept 17, 2020, and this video is from the 18th. If you search around, you’ll find other videos from the same kill, because the bear was on this kill for a full week. I live in Charlotte, and it is still my only visit to Yellowstone. When I talk about my visit, I always talk about this bear kill. The road runs along the river in this area, so it was a perfect situation to view, but also great for the bear because the river was between him and the people. I can answer a good many questions about this situation if anyone has any. We stayed a few hours, and the kill had already been made when we arrived. I asked a ranger at the site if the bear made the kill, or if he found/took over the kill. He said the bear made the kill the day before. I asked if he witnessed the kill, and he said “yes, on TH-cam,” which cracked me up. If you want my advice, scroll through the kill until the bear has the elk on shore. Then look for a few of the other videos. Because it was a week, there are videos of a lone wolf having a look (obviously didn’t have a chance), and several encounters with other bears. After the week, he actually gave what remained to another bear. I feel so lucky to have witnessed this.
I share your feelings! I was leaving the Park the morning of the kill and stayed one extra night for a view the following morning and since appreciated the great videos of the following days.
Such an amazing video and to be able to capture nature at it's finest. Thank you do much for sharing. I just wish more people would understand that this is normal for nature and it's all apart if the cycle of life.
Imagine the kind of power and torque that bear is putting on thats elks spine! Every shake of its head is an attempt to snap the spinal cord of that elk!
So here is the question: Did the elk drown to death from exhaustion or did the bear sever the spinal cord? I've cut up and de-boned many elk and have my thoughts. Incredible footage. As a hunter who has a deep passion and love for our wildlife, I hate to see animals suffer like this but recognize it is part of natural selection at its finest. A lot happened that we don't entirely know before the bull entered the water (bull was likely whooped by another bull and injured). Nature is brutal and sometimes hard to watch. Thanks for sharing,
Spinal cord.. animal's epigenetics programs them to attack weak points. Bite and hold until still is seen in almost all predators probably dating back to dinosaurs although no way to confirm
We came upon the scene quite by accident a couple of days later. There were two bears on the scene with the dead and buried bull elk. I've seen cars and photographers pulled over to the side of the road before in Yellowstone Park but never have I seen before so many photographers clad head to toe in camo with their 400 mm fast lenses also clad in matching camo capturing this incredible situation. Lucky for them that they didn't even need to leave the comfort of their vehicle to get the shot. It happened so close to the road. What a magnificent portrayal of how wild Yellowstone still is. Thousands of people got to drive by in the comfort of their cars and witness awesome nature on display in the Yellowstone River only 80-100 yards distant. Moments later, only a mile or two to the south in the heart of Hayden Valley, a couple hundred bison oblivious to the carnage happening downsteam, happily munched away on grass while hundreds of tourists in flip flops jumped out of their cars to get that all important selfie with a bison.
UH oh, selfies with bison is a little risky, isn't it. I was watching the bull elk in the first photo, upper right corner of the meadow with cows, and setting my camera lighting for a pre-sunup shot when the injured elk came into view and just as I flicked to video, the bear. Astonishing to see quite close where the river and road converge. A great opportunity for photographers that rolled in after and visitors hoping to see a grizzly bear during their trip. Thanks for the updates!
@@bejudson1384 I always shake my head at how close people get to those bison to get the selfie with their smart phones. It is more ironic to see this behavior moments after they see evidence of nature's carnage and power up the road a couple of miles. Your footage is incredible, as is your luck to be there that early morning when it all unfolded. Nature was working as it should. The elk was injured and therefore vulnerable to the bear. It seemed to resign itself to its fate when it realized the bear had the advantage, even in the deep water of the Yellowstone River. It is remarkable that the drama played out so close to the road. Yellowstone never ceases to amaze me. I wish I were still there to watch the seasons change and to see the animals prepare for the long cold winter--such as stuffing themselves with elk meat as this fortunate Grizzly and its mate just did.
I wish I was still there as well. What a place President Grant thought to nationalize for the benefit of "all". Almost 150 years of people like us loving it!!
Not only the bear is strong, he is also smart, the way he used water to his advantage to roll the carcass to shore proves he is an intelligent creature.
Yea some bears are on the intelligence level of apes and some studies have shown that grizzlies will avoid walking in mud so you can’t see their tracks
Wow my friend! Stunning footage, one in a million chance to see the savage side of life unfold before your eyes. The Elk had no chance against this superior swimmer, and dextrous powerful creature..... spine chilling, I can hear you breathing hard!! Breath taking !!!!
It was a surprise to turn on the camera video for an elk about to enter the river for a crossing and then spot a grizzly bear in pursuit. All the breathing is from the animals. Thank you for the complimentary comment, but I admit it was providence rather than awareness that was why I captured this video.
What an absolutely astonishing film. From an ethological perspective, so interesting to see real behaviour in the wild like this. Thank you for posting.
Grizzly #791 made this kill, he is huge and the bull elk is massive. Once in a lifetime experience here. Wow! I have video of the same grizzly on a bison carcass from late August, 2018. Well done shooting the video!
BE Judson Yea, it is. Looking forward to more of your videos, I come out to park spring/fall to hike the trails and backcountry. I watch a lot of wildlife,I come across these grizzlies out on the trail a bit. Like to keep my distance from them out there. Will be checking out your videos!
Park Rangers are often Jerks. I've seen them speeding to work and running animals over then refusing to help a suffering animal. Whose the beast wearing armor ?
Funny, but by this point, the area was probably congested to the point of being impassable for traffic. Hard to say without seeing how many lanes are on the road,.whether there's a shoulder, how many vehicles are stopped, etc.
All these stupid people in the comments "Why didn't you do something? How could you film this? Scare the bear away!"....I am absolutely stunned by the stupidity.
@@bejudson1384 nope kill all the bears . I just don't get it if wolves kill livestock it's kill the wolves because they are costing us profit that's why. Same with coyotes bears etc. So when a mountain lion kills a dog it's just nature but he attacks a human he's gotta die. It's just mother nature right????
Rangers on the sight this weekend said the bull elk had gotten injured by another bull during the rut while fighting for females. On Friday you could even see a puncture wound in his abdomen from the antlers of the rival elk.
There's a video of a bear trying to kill this big boar. After several minutes the bear just ran off lol. He was exhausted and that boar would just not die even with wide open wounds. Surely he returned once his energy levels were back.
So I've read many of the comments and it seems the Bull Elk was injured to begin with .... but the way that bear just goes after the elk's spine to break it. Wow. What a hunter! Normally I don't like watching these but the elk was hurt to begin with and that kill was fast and ... epic! Thanks for posting!
I wonder how much sleep the bear lost stalking the previous night or nights before it saw its opportunity. Exhausting to watch. Exhausting to accomplish probably. Thanks for the view.
Lololo, I used to think drowning would be a horrible way to go. NOW, the worst way to go would be being mauled by a grizzly while swimming across a river , pulled underwater so many times and so fast that you never have a chance to fill your lungs , all the while feeling claws and teeth ripping you a new one. Yes , I too , would prefer to simply drown to the alternative.
This is nature to the core. Just at a lost of words. These are things we dont see in our regular life and makes me appreciate the simple things in life. It was probably a hunter who saw this and this is a small taste of what these animals have to deal with in the wild. This was eye opening and I hope it sheds light to people who are unaware of how terrible it can be for the prey. But how merciful it can be at the end of a rifle than to meet this kind of end. But it is nature and it must be respect. Everyone keep safe and see you out in the wild.
You say this is nature at its core. This is only a small part of nature. There's a lot of good and nature there's a lot of bad and nature there's a lot of indifference in nature humans are nature as well. Yes for the most part a rifle would be more Humane but many times it isn't. A lot of times Hunter's make bad shots and the animal suffers tremendously. I should know because I did it once. I did find the deer eventually but it wasn't a pretty thing what it went through
I just go to the mountains with a camera. I'm just glad many non-hunters as well as hunters support conservation. It takes the country to protect our National Parks and what is left of wild places. Thanks for watching.
@@brianmiller2444 Yeah it is never easy to kill. Thankfully I have never had to deal with the after math of a bad shot and I hope to god I dont ever. I am a great shot, no. I am am average shooter at best but I practice to help prevent bad shots. All we can do is our best. I try my best never to make an animal suffer. But that is all we can do as hunters is our best and I know it wasn't your intention to make a bad shot but it does happen. Also we are not perfect but we all do our best. Shoot straight and be safe my friend.
It was an amazing sight to see. I have a friend who was also out there when it happened and said the elk was exhausted from fighting another bull and was injured. The bear saw an opportunity.
Thanks. Yes, that was the consensus opinion on the 18th and 19th when photographers could get their own closeups of the elk's condition before it was covered up.
@@bejudson1384 Great video, great experience. Thank you for sharing. You can see the bull elk has a bit of a gimp and looks in particular having a rough time putting weight on its back left leg.
I wonder if they do that rolling of the carcass normally when it goes down like this in the water? Reminds me of a gator latching onto it’s pray and doing a the death roll.
He was injured with a bad left leg before entering the river, and at the beginning of the video you can see how his lame leg slows him down in the water Grizzlies are opportunists and may have come across the elk sometime before it saw an advantage to for an attack.. It is tragic to watch.
Bears are highly opportunistic hunters which can be seen in this video the elk is already mortally wounded likely from the other bull you can hear bugling in the background. It would be exceedingly rare for a grizzly to take down a healthy bull elk of this size. If you notice at the start of the video every time it steps on its back left leg there is a severe limp. Its tibia was snapped. You can also see this wound at exactly the 3:00 min mark. It also had a massive puncture wound in it's side behind the right flank likely in the vitals. Also likely a result of an antler not a tooth. Both of these injuries are very clearly seen on the numerous pics seen on IG including mine. Excellent capture of the natural world. The elk died much sooner than it would have suffering through days of injury and the bear is much more likely to end up in the den prepared for the cold harsh YNP winter.
So It worked out well in the end for everyone, Inluding the half a million people that saw the video that are glad they dont live in nature like that.
Any links to IG? I wanna see pics of this.
I appreciate your great insight and sharing details my camera wasn't equipped to clearly capture. Once on shore, it was too far away for me, so mostly I sat and watched as it dug out it's little storage kiln. Thank you!!
I was wondering. It seemed to me the kill was unusually quick.
@@bejudson1384 Great capture. We arrived on scene just after it got to shore. Pretty remarkable stuff. Especially given how poor the light was at that time.
I’m here because Nature Is Metal..
Same
Same
Same
Same
Same lol
Great video! No cheesy music. No humans making stupid comments or stupid noises in the background. Just nature and nature sounds.
100% right. People love to hear themselves talk. Too much noise.
Like highway traffic, ahhh nature
@@blaineg84 yeah, that was at the end, but it was so minimal that I will allow it lol.
Thanks.
Nature Is Metal sent me. And I'm glad they did. Cheers mate, great work.
Awesome, thank you!
This bull has a broken rear left leg. You can see it in the still photo at 0:05 sec. You can see his limp in the water at every other step. I doubt many grizzlies routinely kill healthy, mature bull elk. But they'll jump on a weak, compromised one every time. If the wolves don't get there first. Nature isn't sometimes brutal. She's routinely brutal.
Good eye. I didn't catch that until I saw your comment. Wonder if he got stabbed in the leg by another bull while battling for his harem.
good job...I was wandering why the hell is he moving so slow in the water?
Ya I noticed that right away, that's why the bear was after it, survival of the fittest.
A woman saw wolves just down river about that time. Predators paying attention. What senses of smell they have!
The power a grizzly has to trudge through that water and actually catch up to the elk is amazing. Only to then weigh it down and pull it out of the water while swimming. God damn.
It knew yhe elk was weakened and thats why it really went for it. It knew dinner was a near certainty. Great video!
I think the bear was considering pulling it up to the roadside of the river, he was almost there. Looked up and around, changed direction and it took about 25 minutes for the grizzly to cross the current and hoist the elk onto the opposite shore downstream about 300 yards. His reversal move kept the Rangers from having to close the road and possibly relocate the elk away from visitor road pullouts.
Thanks for not commentating or saying anything and just giving us extreme raw footage!!!!!
You are welcome! It didn't me tinkering with it.
this one elk carcass has to be one of the most well documented kills ever. I've seen so many photographs and videos of this exact kill it's actually amazing. Great video also by the way, beautiful videography!
It's rare to view a bear's intent through its sustenance close up. It was an extraordinary event that unfolded for visitors of YNP and beyond. Thanks for watching and for the nice comment!
I’m here because nature is metal from IG sent me!!!
That was a fairly quick way for the elk to go considering. That point where it stopped to fight I thought was going to end badly for the bear but the sheer power of it was astonishing. Cheers for the great footage and NIM for sharing it.
Many thanks, the bull elk went into the water with a broken back leg, likely after an injury fighting another elk during rut, the September breeding season. Rough life.
I was there for this. It made my trip to Yellowstone. The bear stayed on this kill for a full week!
This is an unbelievable footage. You have been very lucky to witness it and record it. Thanks for sharing it. Really amazing.
Thank you. I had my eye on the Bull Elk and a few Cows in the meadow in the first photograph when the injured elk headed into the river from the timber on the left. It was providence that I went to video on the camera just as the bear appeared and began its chase.
@@bejudson1384 Thanks for the context story. I didn't know that elk was injured. Why he was injured and why he ran from the herd into the river? By the way, I have watched it 6-7 times already! :)
Wow! Thanks for the views. Visitors and wildlife managers explained to me the Bull Elk may have been in a fight for dominance over a harem of cow elk ready to breed. A stronger bull probably struck the attacked bull in the side behind the left front leg wounding it. And the broken leg causing the elk to struggle crossing the river just before the attack weakened it more. The bear may have heard the fight, or smelled the wound, waiting nearby for an opportunity to go after the elk. The first photo in the second video shows the puncture wound thought to be from before the attack by people I spoke with.
Congratulations man! Being at the right spot at the right time with the right gear is partly luck, but you have captured an epic natural battle in the wild, and that too skill! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks a ton!
Thanks for not talking during the video!
You're welcome!
I was speechless to tell the tuth.
This video is proof that a 2 hundred pound man with a can of bear spray is really a stupid idea.
Amen!
This gives a whole new meaning to "rolling down the river."
Ranger talking on loudspeaker to motorists parking in the middle of the road “Texas, I’m talking to you”
Classic...
Dave Ruane lol, that was me. I wasn’t trying to park, I was trying not to run people over, and was letting a couple of them cross the road. That Ranger was on it- lol.
Ever so much!
@@wolverine2221 ~ You should've yelled back to him, "Don't mess with Texas!!"
Amazing! I was in the Hayden Valley the evening before watching those four wolves finish off an elk carcass. I was out at first light but decided to get photos of the elk herd along the Madison River the morning you got this incredible footage. I got my photos but you shot the video of a lifetime! Thanks for sharing.
I was out watching the wolves the night before too, and sent my kids a text...Wolves, Grand Finale, and in the morning sent another text.. A curtain call, Grizzly on an elk. I love spending time in Yellowstone, usually quite the adventure. You are welcome.
Husband and I drove up on this and were hoping someone would post the back story. Incredible.
Hello Kylie
I am glad you are there! It's a great trip.
Must admit one of the best wildlife videos I've seen in a long time . Thank You
Wow, thank you!
Incredible footage. Well done getting the whole sequence.
I really appreciate hearing your comment!!!! I admire your work. Absolutely beautiful, but it's fun for me to also get to capture a video of an extraordinary Yellowstone moment. While I am away, I am glad professionals like you are there!
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing! You obviously know how to be in the right place at the right time.
I was there the day after this happen.... The bear was still there guarding the kill. The elk was injured and could get across with his herd. The elk was 1200lbs and the grizzly weighed around 600lbs. Amazing to see these animals in action. And yet people try to get selfies with them.
It was an extraordinary experience in Yellowstone. I am glad you were in the park for the view of grizzly 791. Special!
Wow! Thank you so much for capturing and sharing this with the world. Based on some of the comments it is clear this is definitely a video people should see.
You're very welcome
I just left Yellowstone today, and seeing that grizzly with its kill was the highlight of my trip. I drove by 3 times before I noticed the elk antlers and realized it had a kill. I stopped and asked a ranger if the grizzly had killed it or found it, and he said “killed it.” I asked if he had witnessed it, and he said “no, but I saw it in TH-cam.” Pretty cool...Thanks for the video.
Where is the location in hayden valley?
North end of Hayden Valley as the road and river enter the trees and hills.
Awesome!👌
I saw this. The bear is still napping by the carcass today. The elk was laying halfway in the river. That bear looks very fat and happy lying in the sun .
I bet he is happy! Thanks for sharing. I will do a lot of wondering this week.
Awesome video! Nature is metal sent me ❤️
This elk was injured from a fight with another bull. The original story stated he had a deep puncture wound on one of his rear legs. Normally, grizz leave big males like this alone; especially when they're in the rut like that. Had the elk stayed on land, he might have still been able to fight the bear off but that's nature for ya.
An hour after the elk was on shore a photographer was showing some of us who were there, a puncture wound in the elk's side, just behind the left front leg.
That Bear was stalking the Elk most likely because of the weakness.
@@bejudson1384 Ah, thanks for the correct info! Pretty rare that you end up in the right place at the right time to capture something like this! Props
@Iden Campbell McCollum Oh, I wasn't the photographer. I ended up here after I saw read a story about it on google news.
@@jbdub08 thanks.
We drove by this and took a pic. We only saw the after effects of him laying next to the river. Thanks for the video. We were so curious on how it went down with the river
Very cool! Thanks.
That bear was like I'm having me some rotisserie-style elk tonight, the way he spinning him in the water😁
Over enough time to add a bit of fishy seasoning as well:) Thanks for watching
hard to tell whether the bear got through to the spine or whether the Elk drowned. I think it got its lungs full of water when they moved over into deeper water and it stopped struggling at that point and asphyxiated within a minute or two.
I completely agree with you and I thought perhaps drowning was preferable to the pain inflicted on its spinal cord. Thanks for commenting.
To the person who recorded this phenomenal video, THANK YOU for remaining quiet and being in the moment. I was bracing myself for a shrilly “.OH MY GOD! Oh. My. GOD!”
He or she did leave their engine on though, a tour guide probably
HI, You are welcome and only additional vehicles pulling in to the pullout on the river had engines running, as the bear and elk in the water got their attention too. And unless off road hiking, there is usually a hum of traffic noises in the Park. Thanks for the nice comment.
All the people on here saying that the videographer should have scared the bear off really need to watch some Nature documentaries. Bears are omnivores and eat meat! Wolves eat meat! Vultures eat meat! This is how nature works. None of that elk will go to waste. What can’t be eaten will decompose and feed the plants that other elk will eat.
Some people haven't seen lion King . "Circle of life"
Good point, thanks.
That's offensive! REEEEE
He couldn’t have scared him off anyway. The video was taken from the other side of the river, over 100 yards away. I know because I was there.
Notice at 2:20 the elk is very much alive and 5 seconds later, upside down in the water, it's no longer moving. I heard a man who drowned but was resuscitated back to life say that as soon as he breathed water into his lungs he felt a sharp pain in them and then passed out immediately. Apparently drowning is one of the easier ways to go.
@Ferret45 ???
@Ferret45 To any intelligent person your comment is nonsense.
@Ferret45 Hmm . . . pretty sure no one on the planet understands what laughter could possibly be referring to with drowning victim stats. Maybe you could tell us all.
Thanks for making your point.
Wow! Incredibly lucky to have been here and recording when you did. Amazing footage! Difficult to watch but an incredible moment captured on video. 👍👍
Yes it was! Thanks for watching.
Amazing video ! As said before thanks for not commenting while videotaping, pure nature. 👍
Some things are best left untouched.
Here here for that brother!. It can be really distracting to the amazing spectical that's unfolding before their very own eyes. Bizarro stuffs indeed
You can see the bull elk has a broken left rear leg which happened before he got to the river. Without this the bear would not have taken it down in the river.Great footage that is raw nature.
Yes, thanks for sharing details. I missed his injury until I uploaded video and the photo.
I didn't notice that but it's obvious that elk was moving slower then shit. They should be able to move much faster through the water.
Great filming! You hold the camera steady and I didn’t hear any OMG OMG OMG in the background. This is incredible.
Thank you so much!! I was holding my breath. And, I was the lone person at the pullout, inititally.
You saw THAT video too, huh 😄
@@bejudson1384 Good job, sir
RIP Mr Elk. That elk appeared to have a broken leg - a slow, agonizing and certain death regardless of the bear, but the bear did him a service: a quick death by drowning and in return the bear gets to eat. It's the circle of life in all its grit and glory.
Yes it did have a broken leg. Possibly in a fight with another bull during rut. The opening photo shows a bull in the upper meadow with cow elk that may have interacted with the injured bull before I arrived.
Wow! Great footage. We were there after the fact and saw the bear. I couldn’t believe that I found your video! Thanks for sharing!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
LOL, I love how the Ranger calls out a Texan and tells him to keep moving in his vehicle!!! Lol, good work Ranger! Keep em movin!
A country boy getting right to the point, Men of few words!
People don't "like" the video are probably those who don't really get out in nature and the mountains. It's not always pretty and bears aren't cuddly, get over it and get in the real world folks!
Yea, it's just nature but it's still sadistic and creepy to like it.
@@russelldemello8735 so all zoologists/biologists are sadistic psychopaths?
Nature is brutal, sadistic and beautiful all at the same time. We just gotta learn to appreciate both sides of it
Interesting for most viewers, I think.
@@russelldemello8735 man up son
So I haven’t been on TH-cam in a while, but I have a couple comments on this video. I was in Yellowstone at the time, I think we arrived on Sept 17, 2020, and this video is from the 18th. If you search around, you’ll find other videos from the same kill, because the bear was on this kill for a full week. I live in Charlotte, and it is still my only visit to Yellowstone. When I talk about my visit, I always talk about this bear kill. The road runs along the river in this area, so it was a perfect situation to view, but also great for the bear because the river was between him and the people. I can answer a good many questions about this situation if anyone has any. We stayed a few hours, and the kill had already been made when we arrived. I asked a ranger at the site if the bear made the kill, or if he found/took over the kill. He said the bear made the kill the day before. I asked if he witnessed the kill, and he said “yes, on TH-cam,” which cracked me up. If you want my advice, scroll through the kill until the bear has the elk on shore. Then look for a few of the other videos. Because it was a week, there are videos of a lone wolf having a look (obviously didn’t have a chance), and several encounters with other bears. After the week, he actually gave what remained to another bear. I feel so lucky to have witnessed this.
I share your feelings! I was leaving the Park the morning of the kill and stayed one extra night for a view the following morning and since appreciated the great videos of the following days.
Such an amazing video and to be able to capture nature at it's finest. Thank you do much for sharing. I just wish more people would understand that this is normal for nature and it's all apart if the cycle of life.
I hope so too
At its lowest u mean
@@mjsmcd how so? Explain.
Great video, what a thing to catch on film. Bugling in the background. Nature is beautiful
Bugling...do you mean the elk or the warden on the horn telling people to move along? 😂🤣😂👌
It really is!
Just incase I forgot all the reasons to be terrified of bears!
Now that's funny!!
Thank you for the reminder!!!
Nature is Metal sent me. Who else? 🤘🏼
Same
Yup me too
Team Bear 791 ✊
791 🔥
Ya 😆
Imagine the kind of power and torque that bear is putting on thats elks spine! Every shake of its head is an attempt to snap the spinal cord of that elk!
Bears are so smart. He made a paddle board out of the elk.😅
SENT BY NATURE IS METAL
Metal sent me and did not disappoint ❤️❗️❗️
Went to post it there, saw it only had 30 upvotes :O
Thanks.
Us Nature is Metal fans appreciate you for this footage 🔥
And BE Judson appreciates all the fans of Nature is Metal!
You got to capture a once in a lifetime event. That is way the parks never get old, You never know what you are going to see when you go out.
I return as often as I can to Yellowstone and the Tetons. Great adventures! Thanks.
So here is the question: Did the elk drown to death from exhaustion or did the bear sever the spinal cord? I've cut up and de-boned many elk and have my thoughts. Incredible footage. As a hunter who has a deep passion and love for our wildlife, I hate to see animals suffer like this but recognize it is part of natural selection at its finest. A lot happened that we don't entirely know before the bull entered the water (bull was likely whooped by another bull and injured). Nature is brutal and sometimes hard to watch. Thanks for sharing,
Spinal cord.. animal's epigenetics programs them to attack weak points. Bite and hold until still is seen in almost all predators probably dating back to dinosaurs although no way to confirm
Drowned, after, with that kind of bite pressure, severing the spinal cord, is my guess.
Any person who can't spell the word "severE" shouldn't be allowed to get a hunting license.
@@russelldemello8735 It's sever, as in SEVer, to cut, remove seVERE means serious
Russell Demello: Go back to school, man...
Hahaha..."I'm talking to you Texas"...probably not the first time a ranger has had to yell that over a megaphone.
I wonder how many times in a day, don't you?
If taxans aren't doing half the speed limit already they are completely stopped on the road
Park Rangers... so annoying!
TEXAS BE HAVING HIS RIFLE OUT.....
TEXAS 👍🇺🇸♥️
We came upon the scene quite by accident a couple of days later. There were two bears on the scene with the dead and buried bull elk. I've seen cars and photographers pulled over to the side of the road before in Yellowstone Park but never have I seen before so many photographers clad head to toe in camo with their 400 mm fast lenses also clad in matching camo capturing this incredible situation. Lucky for them that they didn't even need to leave the comfort of their vehicle to get the shot. It happened so close to the road. What a magnificent portrayal of how wild Yellowstone still is. Thousands of people got to drive by in the comfort of their cars and witness awesome nature on display in the Yellowstone River only 80-100 yards distant. Moments later, only a mile or two to the south in the heart of Hayden Valley, a couple hundred bison oblivious to the carnage happening downsteam, happily munched away on grass while hundreds of tourists in flip flops jumped out of their cars to get that all important selfie with a bison.
UH oh, selfies with bison is a little risky, isn't it. I was watching the bull elk in the first photo, upper right corner of the meadow with cows, and setting my camera lighting for a pre-sunup shot when the injured elk came into view and just as I flicked to video, the bear. Astonishing to see quite close where the river and road converge. A great opportunity for photographers that rolled in after and visitors hoping to see a grizzly bear during their trip. Thanks for the updates!
@@bejudson1384 I always shake my head at how close people get to those bison to get the selfie with their smart phones. It is more ironic to see this behavior moments after they see evidence of nature's carnage and power up the road a couple of miles. Your footage is incredible, as is your luck to be there that early morning when it all unfolded. Nature was working as it should. The elk was injured and therefore vulnerable to the bear. It seemed to resign itself to its fate when it realized the bear had the advantage, even in the deep water of the Yellowstone River. It is remarkable that the drama played out so close to the road. Yellowstone never ceases to amaze me. I wish I were still there to watch the seasons change and to see the animals prepare for the long cold winter--such as stuffing themselves with elk meat as this fortunate Grizzly and its mate just did.
I wish I was still there as well. What a place President Grant thought to nationalize for the benefit of "all". Almost 150 years of people like us loving it!!
Elk doesn’t know how merciful his water death was, compared to the horror of being torn apart from the ass end up on dry land
Not only the bear is strong, he is also smart, the way he used water to his advantage to roll the carcass to shore proves he is an intelligent creature.
No doubt.
Yea some bears are on the intelligence level of apes and some studies have shown that grizzlies will avoid walking in mud so you can’t see their tracks
@@mjministry as with apes all intelligent till they figure out how to start a fire then we fucked 😂
@@fceuro8305 by then our time will have come and passed and A.I. probably wont give a shit.
@@ericknabenshue5689 exactly. We will be dead and gone anyway.
Nature is metal sent us. Great video!
Extraordinary sighting & piece of film. Thanks for posting/sharing.
Many thanks!
Does this count as Hunting or Fishing?
Hope that the bear was licensed for both.
Only in our world. Thanks for watching.
I drove past shortly after this happened... Pretty wild to see. Great filming!
Thanks!
No you didnt drive by...stop lying
Wow my friend! Stunning footage, one in a million chance to see the savage side of life unfold before your eyes. The Elk had no chance against this superior swimmer, and dextrous powerful creature..... spine chilling, I can hear you breathing hard!! Breath taking !!!!
It was a surprise to turn on the camera video for an elk about to enter the river for a crossing and then spot a grizzly bear in pursuit. All the breathing is from the animals. Thank you for the complimentary comment, but I admit it was providence rather than awareness that was why I captured this video.
What an absolutely astonishing film. From an ethological perspective, so interesting to see real behaviour in the wild like this. Thank you for posting.
Thanks you. I'm glad you are interested in the survival skills of Yellowstone wildlife. It is always an extraordinary experience!
Grizzly #791 made this kill, he is huge and the bull elk is massive. Once in a lifetime experience here. Wow! I have video of the same grizzly on a bison carcass from late August, 2018. Well done shooting the video!
Thank you. It's a treat to be able to identify a bear from previous trip sightings.
BE Judson Yea, it is. Looking forward to more of your videos, I come out to park spring/fall to hike the trails and backcountry. I watch a lot of wildlife,I come across these grizzlies out on the trail a bit. Like to keep my distance from them out there. Will be checking out your videos!
@@boelsa Was that the bison carcass in the river at LaHardy in August 2018? Nice to identify the bear!
Ann DeHeide my video of the grizzly was across from the Nez Perce picnic area. It’s on my page,click on me to look for it.
Be careful and turn 360's every now and then.
“Hey Jamie, see if you can find that video of the grizzly attacking an elk”
LOL Thanks for finding!
4:20 Park ranger is like “Please keep traffic rollin’”
Me: WTF did I come to Yellowstone for?
Agreed. So silly
Underrated comment
Park Rangers are often Jerks. I've seen them speeding to work and running animals over then refusing to help a suffering animal. Whose the beast wearing armor ?
Parks are not for watching weaker animals get murdered. Yellowstone sucks for repopulating wolfs and Grizzlies.
Funny, but by this point, the area was probably congested to the point of being impassable for traffic. Hard to say without seeing how many lanes are on the road,.whether there's a shoulder, how many vehicles are stopped, etc.
Bear didnt flinch at the antlers turned on him just went right for the spine!
Nature truly is metal. My mans sent me
All these stupid people in the comments "Why didn't you do something? How could you film this? Scare the bear away!"....I am absolutely stunned by the stupidity.
It is downright frightening that such people exist. I want to try to convince myself they are trolling.
Better to leave all bears alone, I think you would agree.
@@bejudson1384 nope kill all the bears . I just don't get it if wolves kill livestock it's kill the wolves because they are costing us profit that's why. Same with coyotes bears etc. So when a mountain lion kills a dog it's just nature but he attacks a human he's gotta die. It's just mother nature right????
Here because of Nature is metal
Thank you.
Bull: I'll just run into the water, bears hate water...
Bear: mmmm, elk stew.
Yes LOL, he buried it in the dirt over the following hours and days and let it tenderize I suspect! Thanks for watching.
Nature is Metal sent me…
Nature is metal sent me over!
Did he get a permit before fishing?
Hahahahaha. That area is closed to fishing, so we know the answer to that.
I was wondering why the elk was stumbling in the river. You can clearly see at the 3:01 mark that the elk’s left rear leg was broken.
Rangers on the sight this weekend said the bull elk had gotten injured by another bull during the rut while fighting for females. On Friday you could even see a puncture wound in his abdomen from the antlers of the rival elk.
Yes. Glad you saw that.
BE Judson the bear did that elk a favor. Would’ve been a slow painful death if there were no other predators to take him out.
The power of bears is incredible,im glad I live in England ,squirrels can be scary tho 🤣
Understandable:)
Ravens too!
There's a video of a bear trying to kill this big boar. After several minutes the bear just ran off lol. He was exhausted and that boar would just not die even with wide open wounds. Surely he returned once his energy levels were back.
@@porfiriato84 Post the link.
@@balls_down_ya_throat456 it'was little black bear
I was there that day as well, but the video on my phone is such poor quality compared to this. Thank you so much for posting!!
Shapiro huh? So let’s say hypothetically... a bear chases an elk into a river...
Glad you enjoyed it! The morning mist and low light can be frustrating. Very happy you found the video!!
"Texas, I'm talking to you" 🤣🤣
Hahahah. Ayup!
Fantastic filming and what a rare sighting. Thank you for the post!
You are welcome. I am happy to be able to share extraordinary as well as the ordinary Yellowstone experiences.
The bull elk had a broken back leg already. Perhaps from the Griz chasing him down the hill or even from a prior injury such as the rut.
wondered why he wasn't moving too good.
I agree. Thanks for watching.
NickMercs sent me here
Same 😂
SAME LMAO
W
Thanks!
QUE PASA! !!!
The opening picture shows the bull running. His left rear leg is broken. How that happened no one knows but the bear took full advantage.
Thanks for your comment! And for watching.
Wow awesome video. Mother Nature can be harsh but it is the balance of things. How lucky to be there and capture this. Thanks for sharing it.
Yes, thanks
I love that the bear told people to “keep the traffic moving”.
Nature is metal
Absolutely. Thanks.
Nature is metal sent me here
Same
So I've read many of the comments and it seems the Bull Elk was injured to begin with .... but the way that bear just goes after the elk's spine to break it. Wow. What a hunter! Normally I don't like watching these but the elk was hurt to begin with and that kill was fast and ... epic! Thanks for posting!
Thanks for the considerate response.
It looked to me like the elk drowned. He was flailing while his head was under water and then stopped fighting back.
I arrived at this scene a few days after. The bear was still there, sleeping. He would sleep for a few hours, eat some more, and go back to bed.
Putting on his hibernation stores. They should be moving into their dens in the next month or so.
@@EmptyNestAdventures That's what I had suspected. Thank you for the confirmation.
I wonder how much sleep the bear lost stalking the previous night or nights before it saw its opportunity. Exhausting to watch. Exhausting to accomplish probably. Thanks for the view.
Nature is metal brought me here
'At first I thought it was a black bear. Lean, dark. But then I thought: No, this has grizzly written all over it.
Yes, size and the muscle hump are typical of a grizzly. Thanks for the view.
Bear: Look a week Elk
Elk: You're going to work for your supper
Bear: Hold my beer
Lucky Elk. Drowning seems a damn site better than being eaten alive.
Lololo, I used to think drowning would be a horrible way to go. NOW, the worst way to go would be being mauled by a grizzly while swimming across a river , pulled underwater so many times and so fast that you never have a chance to fill your lungs , all the while feeling claws and teeth ripping you a new one. Yes , I too , would prefer to simply drown to the alternative.
Anyone else got sent here from good ole NickyMercs?! Lol
:D that was dope
MFAM! Is this what he was talking about?? lol
Roger Taveras yup
ME lol
Lots of fans. Thanks for the views.
This is nature to the core. Just at a lost of words. These are things we dont see in our regular life and makes me appreciate the simple things in life. It was probably a hunter who saw this and this is a small taste of what these animals have to deal with in the wild. This was eye opening and I hope it sheds light to people who are unaware of how terrible it can be for the prey. But how merciful it can be at the end of a rifle than to meet this kind of end. But it is nature and it must be respect. Everyone keep safe and see you out in the wild.
You say this is nature at its core. This is only a small part of nature. There's a lot of good and nature there's a lot of bad and nature there's a lot of indifference in nature humans are nature as well. Yes for the most part a rifle would be more Humane but many times it isn't. A lot of times Hunter's make bad shots and the animal suffers tremendously. I should know because I did it once. I did find the deer eventually but it wasn't a pretty thing what it went through
I just go to the mountains with a camera. I'm just glad many non-hunters as well as hunters support conservation. It takes the country to protect our National Parks and what is left of wild places. Thanks for watching.
@@brianmiller2444 Yeah it is never easy to kill. Thankfully I have never had to deal with the after math of a bad shot and I hope to god I dont ever. I am a great shot, no. I am am average shooter at best but I practice to help prevent bad shots. All we can do is our best. I try my best never to make an animal suffer. But that is all we can do as hunters is our best and I know it wasn't your intention to make a bad shot but it does happen. Also we are not perfect but we all do our best. Shoot straight and be safe my friend.
@@bejudson1384 well said...
That’s so lucky to be able to capture such an event. Nice job.
I appreciate your compliment. And it feels beyond lucky! What a morning.
It was an amazing sight to see. I have a friend who was also out there when it happened and said the elk was exhausted from fighting another bull and was injured. The bear saw an opportunity.
Thanks. Yes, that was the consensus opinion on the 18th and 19th when photographers could get their own closeups of the elk's condition before it was covered up.
Ah. I had wondered how the elk gained a broken leg. I had thought maybe the bear had a go prior to the video and managed to do it.
@@bejudson1384 Great video, great experience. Thank you for sharing. You can see the bull elk has a bit of a gimp and looks in particular having a rough time putting weight on its back left leg.
Always a bit of the unknown out in the timber! You may be correct.
Just goes to show how fast and powerful a grizzly is even in water
Absolutely. Thanks for watching.
@Steven Miller Looks like if the elk would have turned and confronted the grizzly earlier, it might have stood a better chance.
I'm glad the elk drowned rather quickly and didnt have to endure being eaten alive and shred to pieces
Absolutely. The elk was injured before the bear scented his location and pursued him.
The elk would have been shot within a few weeks regardless.
I wonder if they do that rolling of the carcass normally when it goes down like this in the water? Reminds me of a gator latching onto it’s pray and doing a the death roll.
Came across this bear/carcass today. Still at the same spot , sleeping next to the kill.
Yes he was tired today, wasn't he. Perhaps bruised and feeling battered also.
I deleted my first response to this scene... a gentleman pointed out an undesputable point re: our behavior as humans... I get it...
And yes, I imagine he was really tired and bruised... I get it. Just kept waiting for that elk to get away...🤔♥️
What struck me as the most tragic is that the elk actually had a chance with that head gear but he decided to fight just seconds too late.
He was injured with a bad left leg before entering the river, and at the beginning of the video you can see how his lame leg slows him down in the water Grizzlies are opportunists and may have come across the elk sometime before it saw an advantage to for an attack.. It is tragic to watch.
BE Judson it’s like virus 🦠... don’t have complications or preconditions... and you’ll be fine... or heal up those issues-
Just remember that there are people who think they can win a fight against a grizzly.
I am Japanese junior high school student. I love animals. I was able to know the severity of nature. Amazing video
Thank you very much! Continue your love of nature. It brings a lot of joy to life.